Land trust receives $300k to repay Fox Hollow loan
By Rising Tide staff
DEER ISLE—Following its purchase of Fox Hollow earlier this year, Island Heritage Trust has announced that it has received a $300,000 grant from the Anahata Foundation to fully repay a critical loan that was used to purchase the Deer Isle property, according to a press release.
On May 6, Island Heritage Trust closed on the Fox Hollow property with the help of a loan from The Conservation Fund, an anonymous grant, and a group of private donors. The loan was secured against the property, giving IHT two years to raise the remaining funds, including long-term land and building maintenance and stewardship.
Numerous community members and groups, as well as the response and catalyst to protecting access to adjacent clam flats, spurred IHT to take on the project. The 48-acre property was acquired by IHT for $960,000.
The former dairy farm had previously been owned by a developer, who had wanted to convert the site into a glampground.
On its website, IHT cites Dr. Ken Crowell, an ecologist and volunteer for the organization, who praised the property’s wildlife significance.
“Every Fall [Fox Hollow] is one of the principal places that migrating birds pause to refuel before heading south across Penobscot Bay. In Spring, it is where returning birds first make land after their bay crossing.The Fox Hollow property includes a perennial stream flowing into Crockett Cove and a network of shrubby wetlands within the wooded southern portion of the property as well as a large vernal pool about 60 feet from Goose Cove Rd. In addition, there is extensive frontage on the mudflats of Crockett Cove. Habitat diversity is further increased by the open grassy areas of the central portion of the parcel and the mixed woodland of its northern edge,” Crowell said on the website.
Fox Hollow, a former dairy farm that had been planned for redevelopment as a glampground, is now permanently protected and owned by Island Heritage Trust. Photo courtesy of Island Heritage Trust.
As of September 2, IHT discharged the loan and is exploring using its fundraising efforts to maintain the property and buildings on it, said the release.
An advisory committee will be formed in the coming months to research and recommend to IHT’s board various options for the property, “while staying aligned with IHT’s mission and strategic goals,” the press release said. Nominees for the committee may be submitted to IHT executive director Julia Zell at jzell@islandheritagetrust.org.
“IHT is grateful to the foundations and individuals who assisted in the conservation of Fox Hollow,” the press release said. For more information about this project and other IHT work, visit www.islandheritagetrust.org.
